Head/Lead Product Owner

PayDo, a leading Electronic Money Institution (EMI) authorised by the FCA in the UK, FINTRAC in Canada, and MFSA in Malta, operates in 140 countries and over 25 industries. Offering multicurrency IBANs, merchant solutions, and mass payment options, PayDo provides premium and convenient payment services. With all features available through one platform and contract, PayDo is a preferred solution for local and international payments. 

We are seeking an experienced Lead Product Owner/Product Manager to drive product vision, strategy and execution in a dynamic fintech environment. This mixed role combines strategic leadership with hands-on product management, requiring a proven ability to align business goals with user needs, market trends, and commercial outcomes.
You will lead a small team of Product Owners, foster stakeholder alignment, and drive commercial growth through data-driven decision-making, research and continuous optimization. Success in this role demands a balance of strategic thinking, technical understanding and strong leadership to deliver measurable results and elevate product performance.

   
Key Responsibilities
1. Product Vision & Strategy
Define and maintain a clear product vision aligned with company strategy.
Communicate product vision and goals effectively to internal and external stakeholders.
Keep product goals, strengths, and vision documented, regularly updated, and accessible via presentations, onboarding materials, and product documentation.
2. Product Documentation
Develop and maintain structured, transparent, and accessible product documentation.
Ensure all features, requirements, and updates are properly documented in collaboration with development and other teams.
Close product knowledge gaps by clarifying requirements and documenting them per module/function.
3. Product Backlog Management
Create, maintain, and prioritize the product backlog.
Continuously refine backlog items based on requirements and stakeholder feedback.
Prioritize features, bug fixes, and enhancements to maximize business and commercial value.
4. Stakeholder Management
Serve as the primary point of contact between stakeholders (customers, management, department heads) and the development team.
Manage expectations regarding scope, timelines, and deliverables.
Incorporate stakeholder and customer feedback into product planning.
5. Requirements & User Stories
Collect, validate, and document business and technical requirements.
Draft and maintain Business Requirement Documents (BRDs) covering technical, non-functional, and UX requirements.
Write clear, concise user stories with acceptance criteria.
Collaborate with Sales and Account Management to gather customer insights.
6. Development & Release Management
Ensure all releases comply with company UI/UX standards.
Coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and ensure Definition of Done is met.
Collaborate with QA to define testing requirements and ensure release quality.
Act as the business liaison for the development team, escalating issues pre- and post-release as necessary.
7. Decision Making & Prioritization
Make informed decisions on feature development and release timelines.
Manage and control project scope to prevent scope creep.
Prioritize features based on commercial value, user needs, and reputational impact.
8. Research, Marketing & Analytics
Conduct market research and competitor analysis to identify trends and opportunities.
Incorporate findings into product planning, feature development, and commercial strategy.
Drive product commercial performance improvements through conversion optimization, pricing strategy, and feature prioritization.
Produce regular product performance analytics reports (conversion rates, transaction times, bottlenecks, user flows).
Use analytics platforms (Tableau, Power BI, Smartlook) to track user behavior, generate insights, and propose UX/UI and commercial improvements.
Collaborate with marketing teams to align product development with go-to-market and growth strategies.
Lead internal training sessions to share product knowledge with stakeholders.
9. External Partner Communication
Manage communication with external partners and payment providers during onboarding and integration phases.
Coordinate data collection and projections for third-party integrations.
10. Leadership & Team Management
Lead and mentor a team of two Product Owners, ensuring alignment across initiatives.
Foster collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

  
Skills & Requirements

• Master’s degree in Marketing, Management, Computer Science, Engineering, Analytics, or related field.
• Product management, owner certifications or specialized training.
• 10+ years of total experience in IT product companies, including:
  • 5+ years in product-related roles within fintech, paytech, hi-tech, ecommerce, SaaS, or iGaming. ( senior product manager / owner / senior business analyst etc.
  • 3+ years in management or leadership roles. ( CPO, head of product, PMO)
• Proven track record of improving product commercial results (conversion rates, adoption, monetization, market performance).
• Strong background in marketing principles with hands-on experience in aligning product development to commercial strategy and growth initiatives.
• Proven experience in BRD drafting and backlog management.
• Advanced expertise with complex web and mobile applications.
• Strong knowledge of UX/UI validation, redesign, and design collaboration.
• Demonstrated success in product analytics, conversion optimization, and performance reporting using Tableau, Power BI, Smartlook or similar tools.
• Experience in stakeholder management, feedback incorporation, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Detail-oriented with a UX/UI excellence mindset and high quality standards.
• Experience in project management would be a plus.